HUDDLED TOGETHER IN PROFESSOR Dumbledore's office were James Potter, Siobhán Parten, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew. The quintet were called in for a specific matter, a serious matter. James and Siobhán were sitting in the armchairs while the others were standing behind them. They gave each other reassuring glances, not hearing the door open to reveal more people.
"Marauders?" Lily's delicate voice called out. The quintet quickly turned around to see Lily walk in. Dorcas Meadowes, Marlene Mckinnon, Alice Fortescue, Mary Macdonald, and Frank Longbottom followed her trail promptly. "Why is this enough to make a party?"
"What are you lot doing here?" Marlene glanced around Dumbledore's office. She was taking in every view she could. Remus and Sirius shared a look, shrugging their shoulders.
"I could be asking the same to you." Sirius retorted and crossed his arms. James stood up from the armchair, looking at all the familiar faces.
"What in Merlin's name is going on?" Siobhán stood up as well. "Professor Dumbledore wouldn't bring us to his office for nothing." James protectively put an arm around Siobhán.
"This is all suspicious." James ran a hand through his messy hair. Peter nodded in agreement while observing the awkward tension in the vicinity. Within less than a minute, the door creaked open, revealing a man with a long beard. He was old, wearing blue robes and glasses.
"Professor Dumbledore." Lily abruptly said, silencing the others that were speaking. James and Siobhán went back to sit on the armchairs. Professor Dumbledore walked behind his desk, promptly sitting in his chair. Everyone else quickly walked toward the desk.
"You may be wondering why I called you here today." He looked everyone in the eyes. Siobhán clasped her hands and placed them on her lap, nodding. "As you all know, there is a war brewing outside these walls. A war we cannot win."
"No offense, but what does the not winning part have to do with anything?" James leaned forward with a suspicious glint in his eyes. Professor Dumbledore stared at him for a second, blinking shortly after.
"Voldemort is rising to power faster than the world has ever seen." Dumbledore bluntly put. Everyone flinched at the name except Siobhán. "His Death Eaters will take over, and there's nothing we can do to stop him."
"I feel like there's a but coming." Sirius tried to ease the tension. Remus fought the urge to smack the back of his head. Peter nudged him slightly, signifying to be quiet.
"But," Professor Dumbledore added. "I have an idea for you all." James leaned back against the armchair. "Many of the professors and I were thinking of creating an organization."
"Organization?" Lily questioned. Dumbledore nodded with a twinkle in his eye. "What kind of organization?"
"We call it the Order of the Phoenix." Professor Dumbledore informed. "This is an organization that opposes Voldemort and his followers. We are here to protect Muggle-borns and their families alike."
"Pardon, but would that mean he'd go after my family?" Siobhán inquired. Lily stepped forward, opening her mouth to speak.
"Mines would be at risk as well, correct?" Lily implored with a worried tone. Marlene placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"Any Muggle-born is at risk," Dumbledore said, much to their dismay. Siobhán's face paled at the realization of her family being at risk. She let out a shaky breath. Her hand aggressively ran through her hair the more she thought about the possibility of their deaths.
"What do you want us to do?" Siobhán eventually muttered, wiping a tear away from her face. James lent out his hand to her. He tried not to jump out of the chair and embrace her until she knew she would be okay. Siobhán took it and gave him a reassuring smile. Lily observed the interaction between the two. She knew how Siobhán felt, the way everything was collapsing inside of her. It felt like ice-cold water poured on her, never drying.
"Once you all graduate, we'll be working with the Ministry." Professor Dumbledore started telling the plan. "With their help, you all will be sent into missions to crush the Dark Rebellion. Aurors alike will help us, so we have extra support."
"Professor, how would we communicate?" Alice asked abruptly. "For instance, if we're far away and we don't have an owl—how would we be able to send messages?"
"Good question." Dumbledore acknowledged. "I've created a method of communication by inventing a way to make Patronuses speak." James gave an impressed look toward the man in front of him.
"Excuse me, but where exactly would we meet?" Frank Longbottom questioned. Dumbledore clasped his hands and placed them on top of his desk.
"I'm not certain where, unfortunately." Dumbledore's eyes stopped twinkling at that sentence. "For now, we'll be conducting meetings here. Once everyone graduates, we'll meet elsewhere."
"How do we all know it's trustworthy?" James motioned with his hand slightly. Dumbledore went silent for a moment.
"I suppose you'll just have to trust me." Professor Dumbledore finally spoke. "I have to warn you, though. This secret society is you willing to risk your life for the Wizarding World."
Siobhán didn't hesitate. "I'll join the Order of the Phoenix." James whipped his head to face her, staring at her with worry. "If it means I can save my family, I'll do it. I'll do it without hesitancy." Siobhán's firm voice echoed across the office, her eyes never leaving Dumbledore's.
"You can count on me to come." James gave in. He admiringly looked at Siobhán, bringing her hand to his lips and kissing it. Remus hesitated to decide, but when he looked at Sirius, he knew he had made a decision.
"If they're going, then I'm going." Remus stepped forward. Sirius grinned proudly, stepping forward as well. Peter followed the two taller boys.
"We're coming." Sirius pointed toward Peter. Peter nodded with a confident smile. Lily observed all the Marauders stepping forward. She debated with herself for a while, eventually letting her confidence shine.
"I'm doing it for my family." Lily stood next to Remus. He glanced down at her and nudged her in the arm. She gave him a bright smile. With Lily stepping forward, Marlene, Alice, Dorcas, Mary, and Frank didn't hesitate to join.
"It's settled then." Professor Dumbledore stood up from his chair. "Welcome to the Order of the Phoenix." He started clapping, making the others clap. "You'll be getting a letter sometime soon with a place to meet up for our first meeting."
Siobhán stood up from the armchair and went toward the group. James followed promptly, enlacing his hand with hers. Dumbledore opened his mouth to speak again.
"Also, please keep this a secret." Dumbledore looked at them knowingly. "You must tell no one unless we tell you to. Now, you're all free to leave." The door opened by itself. The group started going down the stairs and made their way into a corridor. The Marauders walked next to each other as the others walked in groups of three or two.
"That was the most grown-up conversation I've had." Sirius chuckled while shaking his head in disbelief. "I never expected this to happen."
"Everything feels so much more real." Peter heaved out a sigh. Remus put an arm around him, patting him in comfort. "We're not kids anymore, are we?"
"Sadly not," James grumbled. "Siobhán here was the first one to join. Not one trace of being hesitant." Siobhán rolled her eyes at his words.
"If it involves people I love, I wouldn't think twice." Siobhán shrugged. "And besides, this would be good for us to do something. We're going to help the Wizarding World!"
"Doing it with my favorite people doesn't sound so bad, does it?" Sirius smiled while thinking about it. James took his words into account and thought about the future. Life was too short for second-guessing yourself; too short to not live to your full potential. He wanted to pursue everything he wanted, create happiness with the people he loved, and not worry about the world. But the war was brewing. There was no time for taking things slow or being careful. He needed to be impulsive and intuitive. He needed to put his priorities straight.
"Prongs, what's got you so silent today?" Sirius observed the quiet boy. James snapped out of his daze and glanced over at his best mate.
"Just thinking..." He muttered, trailing off shortly. He glanced at Siobhán and watched the way her eyes darkened. There was a storm forming inside her, one full of fear. "Uh, can you boys go ahead? I want to have a word with Siobhán real quick." The other three Marauders nodded, continuing to walk towards the Gryffindor Tower.
"What's wrong, James?" Siobhán furrowed her eyebrows. James let out a deep breath and held onto her hand tightly. He wasn't used to having such a weight on his shoulders. "Loverboy, what is it?"
"I'm afraid." James blurted out. He quickly pressed his lips into a thin line, looking away from her. "I'm afraid of the future. I fear what will happen once the war commences." Siobhán frowned at his words. "I fear that there isn't much time for us."
"Darling, don't say that," Siobhán murmured. Her hands met his face, making James look at her. "We have infinity. No matter what, you and I will have the world in our hands. We're infinite. My love, don't ever say there isn't time." James felt tears trickle down his cheeks. Siobhán quickly wiped them.
"Would you want to talk about this tomorrow?" James muttered, placing his hand on top of hers. Siobhán nodded. He nuzzled into the palm of her hand, kissing her wrist softly. "I'd be lost without you."
"I know." Siobhán smiled while holding back tears. James let out a laugh at her remark. She leaned forward, placing a kiss on his lips. James quickly returned it, shifting his hands toward her waist. "Let's go back to the common room and check on the others?"
James nodded, some of his curls falling on top of his face. "Yeah." Siobhán moved his hair back into place and let go of him. They walked in silence through the corridors, making their way toward the Gryffindor Tower.
•••
A/N
you all have no idea how excited i am for the next chapter. i have an amazing idea planned, which i'm positive you all will love. now, this chapter was by far one of my most mature ones. i think this transition was done pretty well and the order of the phoenix introduction was crucial for this story to get closer to its ending. i hope you all enjoyed reading this. once again, thank you so much for all the support! until next time lovelies.